Filled
to the rafters with the sound of guitars, Nashville is a guitar pickers
dream. The place is a mecca for all sorts of world wide talent and
some of the best guitarists alive call it home. He might not be a
household name, but Nashville based John Danley is nevertheless well
established among a select group of listeners who follow the world
of acoustic instrumental guitar recordings. A modern master of the
postmodern Americana guitar sound, Danleys repertoire combines
a time honored composite of musical styles for finger style acoustic
steel string guitar including folk, ragtime, jazz, blues and ambient
soundtracks. Fans of fretboard greats like Leo Kottke and Michael
Hedges, as well as Chet disciples like Tommy Emmanuel, will appreciate
Danleys ringing fretboard work on his 2009 CD Acoustic Dimorphismreleased
on his Tetrapod label. Throughout the fourteen track instrumental
CD, Danley captivates his audience with just a crisp, clean solo acoustic
sound, that also at times evokes the rootsy, folk music side of Jorma
Kaukonens instrumental guitar works. Jazzier cuts here finds
Danley shifting gears, multi-tracking guitars with his very cool sounding
Roland VK-7 jazzy synth sound. The sound quality, mixing and mastering
of the Acoustic Dimorphism CD really allows Danleys guitar
to achieve a near sonic transparency that echoes with every ringing
melodic cadence and slap and tap of his guitar. Rarely has the acoustic
guitar been so well recorded as it is on this CD. Although the guitar
sound takes center stage, not enough can be said about the cover art
painting of Lori Anne Parker featured on the cover of the Acoustic
Dimorphism CD booklet. More of Parkers incredible paintings
can be found at her web site. Now with eight solo albums of instrumental
acoustic guitar recordings to his name, John Danleys music has
never been more ready for discovery among fans of acoustic instrumental
guitar albums. www.JohnDanley.com/ www.LoriAnneParker.com

MUSIC
WEB EXPRESS 3000 presents JOHN DANLEY
Guitars Center Stage
Guitarists making waves in the music world,
their new recordings and gear!

Musical
Background

Ive
been playing guitar since the age of 14 and composing for acoustic
guitar since the age of 21 (Im now in denial concerning my current
chronological advancement in years). My mother was a concert pianist
of the conservatory ilk, my father enjoyed doodling with jazz improvisation
on the baby grand Steinway after a few premium bourbons, and my brother
maintains a diverse background in drumming.

I began experimenting with an old plywood-composite acoustic guitar
found in my fathers closetcomplete with tawdry images
of flamingos frolicking on the plastic pick guard. It was a dreadful
instrument with action akin to the great drawbridge across the Arthur
Kill in Elizabeth, N.J. Nonetheless, I began creating melodies one
string at a time until I was able to play chords. My introductory
experience with acoustic guitar was so dismal that I divorced myself
from the experience altogether and attempted to become a percussionist.
That was a mistake. I returned to the guitar, but this time it was
the electric, after being introduced to the unbridled, testosterone-driven,
adolescent hedonism of distortion effects. This phase lasted until
I was able to appreciate the music of Kenny Burrell, Grant Green,
and Stanley Jordan. Eventually I returned to the acoustic guitar for
purposes of composition without accompaniment and in response to the
excitement induced via the Fahey legacy.

Concerning knowledge of other instruments, I have marginal experience
with keyboards and often incorporate them on albums. I am presently
recording with a Roland VK-7 for B-3 organ and cello sounds.

New CD

My latest
release is entitled Acoustic Dimorphism and was recorded at
my home studio otherwise known as the Roger Penrose Laboratory.
I actually stumbled into the title for the album after reading a book
by the noted evolutionary geneticist Jerry Coyne. Dimorphism literally
means: existing in two separate forms. The one comment I have often
encountered from audience members who listen to finger style guitar
music is, It sounds like two guitarists at once. The title
could also refer to the fact that the acoustic instrument used on
the recording, a Taylor LE-714, consists of grafted walnut, specifically
English and Claro, which are morphed into an overlapping grain pattern.
Bob Taylor explains this process in the subsequent link for aspiring
luthiers and wood nerds: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrkURFcnGDs

Acoustic Dimorphism represents my 8th independent solo release
(released October 1, 2009). This album offers a hybrid of original,
instrumental acoustic guitar music. Predominant forms include neo-bluegrass,
bossa nova, percussive-driven harmonies, and European ballads executed
with a variety of contemporary finger style guitar techniques. My
intention was to synthesize tradition with modern experimentation
while incorporating a sense of humor.

My favorite
electric guitars will always be pre-CBS Stratocasters. They make sense
from a design perspective and are extremely versatile for a variety
of musical styles.

As mentioned earlier, the guitar used on my album is a limited edition
Taylor 714 with a cedar top and grafted walnut back and sides. Its
one of my favorite combinations of tone woods. The cedar adds warmth
and dimensionality to the bass register while the walnut back and
sides produce ample projection, shimmering treble, and
clarity of note separation. In fact, one of the best sounding acoustic
guitars I have ever played was when I was asked to perform at The
Healdsburg Guitar Festival in 2007. It was there I met the now deceased
Lance McCollum who introduced me to a similar instrument crafted from
black walnut. Lances instruments remain among the best in the
world and I only wish I had been fortunate enough to own one.

For the specifications fanatic, I have an Audio Electric Research
amplifier and use Elixir Nanoweb light gauge strings exclusively because
they are the only brand that can withstand two 45-minute sets of brutalization.
Ive reduced my effects arsenal to a Boss reverb and delay pedal
for fleshing out sonic endeavors when performing live, but for the
most part I am a strict purist in the studio. Recently,
I have been enjoying a British made compressor known as the Love Squeeze.
Besides the overt innuendo, it is one of the most transparent compressors
on the market and can be used as a volume boost for magnetic pickups.

A few years ago I wrote a blog entitled Getting Some Air In There
as an argument for the brilliant acoustic pickup design work of Gary
Hull. Garys operation is known as Trance Audio and he engineered
the Amulet Acoustic Lens system. Gary Hull is a veritable genius who
now resides in Santa Cruz. The Amulet is quite simply the most authentic
sounding acoustic pickup system for live performance, capturing the
psychoacoustic nuances of body resonance. His link: www.tranceaudio.com/amulet.html

Musical
Influences

Keith
Jarrett is my favorite musician. I prefer to listen to solo piano
records if I am going to listen to anything when Im alone. The
truth is that I only listen to guitar music when I am finding out
what other artists are doing. This phenomenon can only be explained
by a feeling of ennui after endless hours of practicing, composing,
performing and recording on a stringed instrument. It is the reason
why cooks never eat at their own restaurant. Nonetheless, I was bitten
by the Hedges bug after the onslaught of Windham Hill in the mid-80s.
David Walbert, a classical guitarist, friend and mentor could have
been responsible for my love of melancholia when attempting to compose
ballads.

Upcoming Plans

Due
to the economic zeitgeist and various contextual circumstances, I
have been forced into a provisional moratorium on touring (hopefully
temporary). However, I continue composing and foresee future recording
and experimentation with various projectsincluding the possibility
of a duo with bassist Bonn Johnson.